Why 'The Villain' Marty Scurll is the most intriguing man in wrestling

Why 'The Villain' Marty Scurll is the most intriguing man in wrestling

Marty Scurll put a finger to his lips and shushed the largest live crowd in Ring of Honor history.

Even though Scurll is known as “The Villain,” the fans complied because they knew what might be the most disgusting move in pro wrestling was about to follow.

Scurll was holding Adam Cole’s fingers and then the loud and grotesque sound of Cole’s fingers being “snapped” echoed in the arena.

Just thinking about it is enough to make you wince, but imagine being the guy whose fingers those are.

“I got both my hands snapped that night,” said Cole, who lost to Scurll at Supercard of Honor in Lakeland, Fla. “It’s a cool move, but it’s not cool to be on the receiving end.

“Visually, it’s a pretty great display for the fans and that’s the reason people get into it so much.”

The “finger snap” is among an innovative set of moves that has made the British-born Scurll and his “Villain” character among the most intriguing in pro wrestling in his six months in the United States with Ring of Honor.

Scurll defends the ROH world television title on Friday at the War of the Worlds pay-per-view from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York against Matt Sydal (former WWE star Evan Bourne). The show begins at 9 p.m. ET via pay-per-view outlets, ROHWrestling.com and the FITETV app.

As much as you want to hate “The Villain” – and Scurll wants you to hate the character — Scurll makes it hard to take your eyes off him. Well, except when you want to shield them from the finger snap.

“‘The Villain’ gets off on the idea of disgusting the crowd and then telling the crowd to keep the noise down while he does it,” said Scurll, who delved into the third person at times during a 30-minute conversation about his career and character.

“The reason it works is because it comes at a point in matches where the anxiety shows. They never see somebody grab a finger and do it. But he has to do it out of desperation. Even though he’s ‘The Villain,’ he’s doesn’t want to do it, even as bad person a person as he is. That makes him a little bit sicker so he enjoys that he sickened the crowd.”

Scurll starting using the move when he began in wrestling school as a 14-year-old, but said it has “taken a long time to make it a big part of my act realistically. It’s something so simple at a time when people are doing six flips, but it’s getting the biggest pop of the show.”

The unique in-ring moves are just part of a presentation that includes a fur coat, an umbrella that he often uses as a weapon, circular sunglasses and the backdrop of a movie set for his entrance. His look includes a menacing beard and goatee and ponytail atop his head.

“It’s important for me to use my brain and have that character just be different,” he said. “For me, it’s a case of what can I do to stand out.”

Cole said Scurll “just encompasses all the tools and all the necessary facets you need to be a successful pro wrestler — not just in Ring of Honor but in all of pro wrestling.”

Marty Scurll head to the ring (Photo: Oli Sadler, Ring of Honor)

Even with “The Villain” persona, Scurll had developed a passionate following and said he has been overwhelmed with messages of support from fans, especially those fighting personal issues. In a tweet this week, he said he urged those who are struggling, “no matter how bad things get, they can and will get better” and said he was “blown away” that people are turning to him in their time of need.

“Despite me being ‘The Villain’ one of the biggest connection with fans is they say they see a lot of themselves in me – they have a chip on their shoulder or feel outclassed or are not the best human beings,” he told For The Win. “Fans who are down on hard times or fighting depression or anxiety say, ‘We turn to you to help us fight through it.’ I have a responsibility to stand for those fans. In England, I can spread that message to a certain amount of people, but Ring of Honor has given me a platform to do that with a larger audience.”

Scurll won the Ring of Honor world television title on his first weekend with the company on the heels of the key role he played in the current resurgence in British wrestling. Scurll was a two-time heavyweight champion in U.K.-based Progress Wrestling and a heavyweight and cruiserweight champion for Revolution Pro Wrestling, also based in the United Kingdom.

“Looking objectively, Marty certainly has Ring of Honor world champion written all over him,” said Cole, who has known Scurll for nine years. “By the end of this year, a lot of people will be talking about what a great year that Marty had. The sky’s the limit for this guy.”

With a presence in the United States and Europe, Skurll next heads to Japan. After the Ring of Honor television tapings Sunday in Philadelphia, he makes his Japanese debut as part of the prestigious Best of the Super Juniors tournament, which runs May 17 to June 3. He is Group A of the event, which includes Will Ospreay, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Dragon Lee, Ricochet, former WWE star Taka Micihnoku and others.

“This might be a bold statement, but I will travel more miles than any other wrestler this year, and if not, I’m in the top five,” he said. “As a wrestler in the world, traveling is a big part of it.

“Wrestling is my passion and that’s something I embrace. The wrestling world needs me and I’m going to enjoy it. If I want to be seen as one of the best wrestlers of all time, I have to (travel).”

Yes, he said the wrestling world needs him.

“I know this is what I was put on this earth to do,” he said. “I was meant to be an entertainer. I’ll have friends or girlfriends who say, can you come do this or that and I’ll say ‘the wrestling world needs me.’ I have a responsibility to the fans.”

Scurll says he doesn’t alter the character much depending on where he works. At 28 years old and a decade-plus in the wrestling business, he is “The Villain” and “The Villain” is him after he spent a brief period as a babyface character named “Party Marty.”

“My character is very organic and an authentic representation of who I am as a person at the time,” he said. “ As a 28-year-old, I’m different as a man than I was as an 18-year-old. As you grow as a human being, the character evolves. It was never a case of me saying, ‘Oh, I’m going to be this guy.’ You grow and change and it’s always exciting for the fans.

“For me, it’s always important to bring something new to table and not get stuck in your ways. Every day I think of how I can improve, expand and grow as a character, add a new dynamic or new layers and add more substance the fans can get their teeth into.”

More War of the Worlds

Among the highlight matches on the War of the Worlds pay-per-view are a three-way match for the Ring of Honor world title with champion Christopher Daniels defending against Cody Rhodes and Jay Lethal and the Young Bucks defending the ROH world tag team titles against IWGP Intercontinental champion Tetsuya Naito and Bushi.

With his contract with Ring of Honor having expired at the end of April, Cole is making limited appearances with the company while he determines his future. The three-time ROH world champion, now considered “the hottest free agent in wrestling” faces Hiroshi Tanahashi, who has held virtually every title in Japan and is a seven-time former IWGP heavyweight champion.

Cole also is scheduled for the Ring of Honor taping Sunday in Philadelphia.

“This is my ultimate dream match,” Cole said. “For a lot of fans and even other wrestlers, they look at Tanahashi as the forefront of New Japan Pro Wrestling. A lot of people view me as the forefront of Ring of Honor. This is a match I’ve wanted for a long time and I know this is a match that Tanahashi has wanted for a long time.

“I’ve been able to do a lot of dream match scenarios, but this is one that I haven’t been able to do. To do it now and finally prove who the better man is after all the years of this relationship, the fans are going to be in for a treat and we’re going to be in for a treat. The is definitely a match that I am going to remember for a long time and hopefully the fans do as well.”

Strowman injury

WWE could be scrambling to alter its plans for the Universal title following an injury to Braun Strowman. While WWE has not acknowledged the injury, Strowman took to his personal Instagram account and wrote:

I will return to finish what I’ve started and that’s carving my name in history as the most destructive thing #WWE has ever seen. This surgery is just a minor speed bump I will return bigger stronger faster and even more dangerous than ever mark my words I’m the definition of unstoppable!!! #braunstrowman#monsteramongmen#nothingcankeepmedown

Reports indicated that Strowman was likely to face Brock Lensar at the RAW-exclusive Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view in July. Strowman and Roman Reigns also were expected to be in the main event at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. We had speculated that would be an ambulance match.

Strowman has been pulled from upcoming shows and the beating Reigns gave him on RAW on Monday was a means to write him off television.

Around the ring

WWE has added match to the Smackdown-exclusive Backlash card on May 21 in Chicago with a six woman match between Naomi, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch against Natalya, Tamina and Carmella.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque, a WWE executive and 14-time world champion, was inducted into the Boys & Girls Club of America Hall of Fame on Wednesday in Dallas. Levesque was a member of the club in his hometown of Nashua, N.H., as a child.

Ember Moon has been ruled out of the fatal four-way for the NXT women’s championship at TakeOver: Chicago on May 20 because of a shoulder injury suffered in a battle royal at the last set of television tapings. Asuka will defend against Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross in a triple threat instead.

So depending on the math you use, Asuka could equal Bill Goldberg’s winning streak of 173 consecutive matches. She enters the weekend at 172-0 since her arrival in NXT. Most fans will tell you that Goldberg’s streak at the start of his WCW career is inflated, but it is viewed as “official.”

Why 'The Villain' Marty Scurll is the most intriguing man in wrestling

Scurll defends the ROH world television title on Friday at the War of the Worlds pay-per-view from the Hammerstein Ballroom

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